Books & Guides

Some
of the best books we've found about building a pondA
natural pond can be a thing of beauty, full of fish and surrounded by turtles
and frogs, covered with delicate aquatic flowers and plants. Building a
pond is not as difficult as you may think and there are a few step-by-step
instructions to follow if you want to build a pond.
You don't need a lot of space to have a backyard pond in fact many
people are able to create interesting water features in very small
spaces and thanks to the new supply of inexpensive pond skimmers,
filters and more efficient pumps and water conditioners it has made
owning a pond easier than ever.

Earth Ponds
Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and RestorationMore
Information & Purchase OptionsThere
is nothing like a pond! What else can simultaneously increase your
aesthetic pleasure, offer recreational opportunities, help the environment,
and increase the value of your land? This is the recognized standard
on ponds, now expanded to include a comprehensive guide to living
happily with your completed pond and keeping it perpetually healthy.
Here is everything you need to know about planning, digging, sculpting,
and maintaining your pond.

This book is a good start to building your own pond. I would suggest
it as a inexpensive first step to pond building. What I learned in
my experience was there is just too much to consider when you want
a high quality pond. I used a professional biologist to design my
pond and got terrific results. I was happy I knew the basics from
this book so I could speak somewhat intelligently with the fishery
biologist. After investing tens of thousands of dollars, I learned
that the small amount I spent on this book and the professional advice
was well worth it. I was so happy I got a nice clear fishing and swimming
pond instead of a muddy mess or one that was weed infested.

Landscaping
Earth Ponds
The Complete Guide More
Information & Purchasing OptionsReview
"A pond adds value to a property, but many books which extol its virtues
are mysteriously silent on just how to install and landscape for maximum
benefit - until Landscaping Earth Ponds: The Complete Guide. Tim Matson's
proven methods and designs come from his background as an aquaculture
consultant: he's been designing and restoring such ponds for over
twenty-five years, and his tips update his prior Earth Ponds with
new details on everything from assessing and maintaining water quality
to considering types of fill and handling embankments. Color photos
throughout enhance the presentation." - Bookwatch, August 2006

"Tim Watson draws upon more than 25 years of experience and expertise
building ponds and developing wetlands in Landscaping Earth Ponds:
The Complete Guide. Here is a informative, step-by-step, profusely
illustrated reference for creating a more lively and beautifying diverse
landscapes and home-area garden areas with ponds. Providing "user
friendly" information on how ponds work to enhance a landscape, create
recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase property
values, Landscaping Earth Ponds offers a complete and readily accessible
account of a variety of methods and techniques to employ in the creation
of a pond. An important addition to any personal, professional, or
community library reference collection, Landscaping Earth Ponds is
very strongly recommended for anyone searching for an all-inclusive
instructional guide to pond building and encouraging natural beauty
through the development of a customized pond appropriate to the rest
of the landscaping environment. - Midwest Book Review, July 2006 Buy
Landscaping Earth Ponds

Earth Ponds Sourcebook The Pond Owner's Manual and Resource Guide, Second
EditionMore
Information & Purchasing OptionsMatson
designed this book to serve as a companion to his Earth Ponds: The
Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration
(Countryman, 1991) by exploring new topics in depth and providing
additional bibliographies and lists of suppliers. Topics include pond
building and maintenance, activities and uses (including ice skating,
fishing, beach building, hydro power, and pond-side structures), ways
to attract wildlife and control pests, and small water-lily or goldfish
ponds. Resource lists provide addresses and phone numbers, with occasional
annotations. Matson balances his enthusiasm for ponds with frequent
warnings about legal, structural, and ecological pitfalls?information
that may well save readers from costly mistakes.

"Tim Watson draws upon more than 25 years of experience and expertise
building ponds and developing wetlands in Landscaping Earth Ponds:
The Complete Guide. Here is a informative, step-by-step, profusely
illustrated reference for creating a more lively and beautifying diverse
landscapes and home-area garden areas with ponds. Providing "user
friendly" information on how ponds work to enhance a landscape, create
recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase property
values, Landscaping Earth Ponds offers a complete and readily accessible
account of a variety of methods and techniques to employ in the creation
of a pond. An important addition to any personal, professional, or
community library reference collection, Landscaping Earth Ponds is
very strongly recommended for anyone searching for an all-inclusive
instructional guide to pond building and encouraging natural beauty
through the development of a customized pond appropriate to the rest
of the landscaping environment. - Midwest Book Review, July 2006 Buy
Earth Ponds Sourcebook: The Pond Owner's Manual and Resource Guide,
Second Edition
Earth Ponds A to Z An Illustrated EncyclopediaMore
Information & Purchasing OptionsFrom
the author of Earth Ponds, the definitive reference guide to constructed
earth ponds. This A-Z guide provides pond owners and builders with
an at-a-glance reference to answer any question. From Acid Rain to
Zooplankton, pond guru Tim

Matson defines and explains more than two hundred terms associated
with pond building and maintenance, both familiar and obscure. Here
the reader will find descriptions and definitions of all significant
pond elements, including:
• structural features
• construction materials
• water conditions and treatments
• aquacultural topics and crops
• environmental concerns
• government support and regulatory agencies
• landscaping

More than two hundred illustrated entries distill the latest information
on ponds into a unique and definitive companion for pond owners and
builders. Buy
Earth Ponds A to Z: An Illustrated EncyclopediaLake and Pond Management
GuidebookMore
Information and Purchase OptionsThe
Lake and Pond Management Guidebook is the successor to the bestselling Lake
Smarts: The First Lake Maintenance Handbook, the "bible" for small-scale
lake and pond improvements, published by the Terrene Institute in 1993.
Completely revised and updated, now published by Lewis Publishers, this
guidebook contains over 300 ideas and projects including step-by-step practical,
low-cost solutions to a wide range of problems that lake management professionals
face everyday. Coverage includes shoreland buffer installation, fisheries
management, reducing nuisance algal growth, controlling exotic aquatic plants,
lakeside wastewater treatment systems, small scale dredging, and more.
Absolutely the last word in pond or small lake creation and maintenance.
For both the amateur and professional.
Well worth the steep price.

Lake and Pond Management by Steve McComas is an excellent reference for
cooperative extension advisors, soil and water conservation district staff,
lake association representatives, and other watershed managers. Licensed
commercial pesticide applicators who are considering broadening their credentials
to the aquatic pest control category would also find this Guidebook a valuable
addition to their reference libraries. As a retired university farm advisor
and riverfront landowner, I found this book highly educational - and well
worth the price. Buy
Lake and Pond Management GuidebookNatural Swimming Pools:Inspiration For Harmony With Nature (Schiffer Design Book)More
Information & Purchasing OptionsNatural
swimming pools rely on the correct balance of living plants and micro-organisms
to clean and purify the water. They are easy and less costly to maintain
than chemical pools. Chlorine and other common pool chemicals that
are hazardous to human health are not used. Natural pools are safe
places for children to play and birds to drink, and are a dramatic
example of ecological design, combining the natural and man-made worlds
while creating beauty. These pools offer enjoyment not only in the
warm months, but during winter, when they can be used for ice skating.

Often the focal point of a garden, a natural swimming pool blends
into the environment, flowing into the surroundings with plants and
rocks. It reflects the changing seasons and enhances the environment
naturally. This book is a necessary resource for people who consider
a natural swimming pool.

It shows how the natural system works to provide environmental, health,
and safety benefits. Drawings, diagrams, and charts help explain their
planning, design, biology, materials, construction, planting, and
maintenance. Over 300 beautiful color photographs of natural pools
will inspire your own water garden, where you can swim in harmony
with nature. Buy
Natural Swimming Pools

Whether
it is a small container of water on a deck or patio serving as home to
a few plants and water creatures or a more elaborate mix of waterfalls,
fountains, rockwork, and lighting, the water garden can be a lovely, spirit-soothing
addition to one s property a place to unwind, relax, and escape the cares
of the world. But while water has been a prominent feature in garden designs
for thousands of years, it is only recently with the availability of preformed
kits at the local home improvement center that installing a beautiful
water garden has become a feasible undertaking for the average homeowner.
And now, with the extremely clear and complete instructions in this practical,
hands-on guide, a backyard water garden is easier than ever to build and
maintain. This is a true bible on the subject with comprehensive information
on everything from choosing the right site and selecting aquatic plants
and fish to pond management and problem solving. The pages are crammed
with specifics about pond biology and chemistry, beneficial bacteria,
fish health, nuisance algae, and electrical and child safety all that
is necessary to duplicate the sights, sounds, and sanctuary of a babbling
brook, splashing fountain, or cascading waterfall right in the backyard.

An
updated, expanded edition of Creative Homeowner's comprehensive guide
to water gardens, Complete Guide to Water Gardens, Ponds & Fountains
provides essential information on designing and installing all types of
home water gardens, from naturalistic to formal, plus fountains, waterfalls,
streams, and bog gardens. Readers will learn how to construct each of
these structures, as well as how to design bridges and stepping-stones.
Special sections on aquatic plants, fish, and other pond inhabitants bring
life to these essential garden features. Beautifully illustrated with
dozens of inspiring landscape photographs, plus step-by-step sequences
and instructions, the book shows readers all they need to know to create
and maintain the water garden of their dreams.

The
first easy-to-follow guide to achieving beautiful results with these fascinating
garden features. Containing the most up-to-date, sound and practical advice,
it will teach you how to build or improve a rockery, make a scree or sink
garden, and choose the right plants to liven up your patio or backyard,
with a special A-Z feature of rock garden plants. You'll also learn about
water, water features, lighting, aquatic plants and fish. Complete with
full-color charts and photographs.

Well-known
author Leslie Geddes-Brown traces the history of the decorative use of
water in the garden, from the tinkling fountains of ancient Persian enclosures
to the most avant-garde creations by twenty-first century designers. Thematic
chapters present water gardens of all types, from Islamic and Oriental
to romantic and formal, and from landscape gardens to town gardens. The
book includes the work of such celebrated designers as Harold Peto, Geoffrey
Jellicoe, Helen Dillon and Derek Jarman, and such revered gardens as Stourhead,
Giverny and the Villa d Este. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction
followed by three or four beautifully illustrated features on specific
gardens around the globe. The book concludes with an international plant
directory, a guide to water gardens open to the public and full contact
details of all the contemporary designers featured, making this an essential,
inspirational reference for garden lovers everywhere.

Water
gardens are often the most beautiful gardens around any home. The blending
of water and earth creates a harmonious balance that relaxes the body
and mind as it inspires the soul. Yet water gardens can be intimidating,
too. At first glance they may seem to be complicated places filled with
unfamiliar plants with unusual needs. Happily, aquatic plants can be simpler
to care for than they first appear. This bulletin tells you everything
you need to know to select and care for water plants with minimum fuss
and maintenance. Whether you want delicate floating plants, exotic water
lilies, or carnivorous bog dwellers, you'll find here suitable choices
for your taste and climate conditions. The beautiful yet undemanding aquatic
plants featured in this bulletin are sure to brighten your spirits as
well as your garden for years to come.

This
complete illustrated guide to water gardens will help anyone create a
beautiful backyard.

Water Gardens: Pools, Streams & Fountains Is A Better Homes And Gardens
how-to manual packed with all the reader needs to know about adding a
water feature to one's garden. Chapters cover how to design and plan a
water feature, including choosing the right materials and arranging a
proper water source, electrical source, and usage of pumps; constructing
an indoor or outdoor water garden; enhancing a water garden with seating,
paths, decks, lighting, or other features; maintaining a water garden;
ideal plants and animals for a water garden, and much more. Methodical
instructions and full-color photographs on every page make Water Gardens
simplicity itself to use. Highly recommended for anyone interested in
adding a water garden to their home.

Whether
it is a small container of water on a deck or patio serving as home to
a few plants and water creatures or a more elaborate mix of waterfalls,
fountains, rockwork, and lighting, the water garden can be a lovely, spirit-soothing
addition to one s property a place to unwind, relax, and escape the cares
of the world. But while water has been a prominent feature in garden designs
for thousands of years, it is only recently with the availability of preformed
kits at the local home improvement center that installing a beautiful
water garden has become a feasible undertaking for the average homeowner.
And now, with the extremely clear and complete instructions in this practical,
hands-on guide, a backyard water garden is easier than ever to build and
maintain. This is a true bible on the subject with comprehensive information
on everything from choosing the right site and selecting aquatic plants
and fish to pond management and problem solving. The pages are crammed
with specifics about pond biology and chemistry, beneficial bacteria,
fish health, nuisance algae, and electrical and child safety all that
is necessary to duplicate the sights, sounds, and sanctuary of a babbling
brook, splashing fountain, or cascading waterfall right in the backyard.

Expertly
written and illustrated throughout with color photos and helpful diagrams,
this guide describes both traditional and modern techniques for creating
a water garden. From streams, waterfalls, and fountains to self-contained
features and bog gardens, every form receives in-depth coverage that is
easy-to-follow. There are suggestions for siting, design, and construction;
detailed assistance on stocking ponds and pools with fish and flowers;
and invaluable advice on plant propagation, care, maintenance, and common
problems. An extensive directory of aquatic plants covers such favorites
as water lilies; floating plants (among them the beautiful, delicate water
hyacinth); and many more.

People
all around the world enjoy the hobby of gardening. They love planting
tiny seeds in the soil and watching them sprout into mature plants. Gardening
isn t just for adults, however. Kids can plan, create, and maintain their
own gardens, too. Gardening for Kids is rich with ideas and instructions
for making water gardens, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, perennial
gardens, butterfly gardens, and landscape designs. Everyone loves a garden
filled with bright colors, soft textures, and lovely smells. Add a little
water to the mix and you have the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the
best of nature. Relaxing by your water garden is the end of a long but
rewarding process. Follow these step-by-step instructions for finding
the best spot in your yard for a healthy water garden, designing and digging
it, choosing water flowers, and adding fish. You can even build a toad
house to attract wild visitors to your backyard. When all the designing,
digging, lining, planting and stocking is done, you can sit in your own
private oasis and enjoy nature s gorgeous bounty. Color, movement, scent
it all adds up to life!

Throughout
history, water has been a versatile and vital resource for the garden.
It was the essential element in the earliest gardens of the and Near East.
And today water provides settings and opportunities for an exciting combination
of plants and architectural ornament. This volume, with specially commissioned
photography by Hugh Palmer, illustrates and discusses both grand and modest
water gardens to be found throughout the world, including the Islamic
masterpieces of Granada and Kashmir and the gardens of Kyoto in Japan.
In Europe and America all the principal schools of garden design - Mannerist,
Classical and Landscape invite the reader to share their delights. The
ingenuity of the Italian garden is captured in stunning views, as are
the grand vistas of Versailles, English landscaping, the smaller-scale
pleasures of stream and pond gardens, and the finest gardens and designs
by Roberto Burle Marx. Details and close-ups are included throughout,
as are examples of the variety of water features that have embellished
gardens. A section on arrangements to suit modern gardens, and listings
of major water gardens worldwide complete the book. "The Water Garden"
is not only a work to stimulate the gardener but also a sumptuous tribute
to a great tradition which unites some of the most lavish and beautiful
garden schemes ever devised. George Plumptre is a writer, joumalist and
garden specialist. His many works include "Garden Ornament" (Thames and
Hudson, 1989). Hugh Palmer has contributed photographs to numerous books,
including "Garden Ornament, Trellis" (1991) and "The Formal Garden" (1992),
all from Thames and Hudson.

Complete
Guide to Water Gardens is a comprehensive guide to designing and installing
all types of home water gardens, from naturalistic to formal. Readers
will learn about site selection and construction materials and methods.
They will receive information on pumps, filters, lighting, and other accessories.
The book also explains how to install streams, waterfalls, fountains,
and statues, as well as how to design bridges and stepping-stones. Complete
Guide to Water Gardens also includes information on maintaining water
quality and selecting fish and plants. Beautifully illustrated, including
step-by-step sequences and instructions, this book shows readers all they
need to know in order to create and maintain the water garden of their
dreams.

Water
is a soothing and delightful addition to any garden, and water features
streams, waterfalls, and bog gardens continue to be popular design elements
in the modern garden. And now, gardeners finally have a practical and
handy place to turn for information about water garden plants. In the
Timber Press Pocket Guide to Water Garden Plants, gardening gurus Greg
and Sue Speichert provide information on a full range of plants that can
be used in ponds and wet soils, from the widely popular waterlilies and
lotuses to the often-overlooked submerged, floating, and bog plants. The
newest edition in the popular pocket guide series focuses on 300 of the
best plants for use in large and small water gardens. Each description
includes detailed information on choosing, planting, and caring for plants.
Notes on cultivation address the question of how much water each plant
needs to grow and provide information on cold tolerance and how to overwinter
plants. Suggestions for use in the landscape offer design ideas for gardeners
of all levels.

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